Ethanol Extracts as Hair Growth Stimulants?

Effect on Hair Growth of HEM-13/HDC(A Mixture of 8 Herbal Extracts) in Human and C3H Mice

Study Information and Results:

In Korean folk medicine, several herbs have been known to improve blood flow and been used for wound and inflammation, which are: Angelicae Radix, Cnidii Rhizoma, Salviae Miltiorhizae Radix, Persicae Semen, Sinomeni Caulis et Rhizoma, Viticis Fructus, Zanthoxylum piperitum and Carthami Flos.

Based upon their pharmacological actions, we assume that these herbs may also stimulate hair growth and thus, tested their effect using the mixture of their ethanol extracts (HEM-13/HDC).

Clinical study: 150 subjects of male pattern alopecia were treated with HEM-13/HDC twice a day for 6 months and subjective and objective clinical symptoms were assessed. Objective symptom was assessed by photographic method.

Over 85% of the subjects showed improvement of clinical symptoms and increase of hair growth.

Animal study: 36 C3H mice whose hair in the lower half of the back was removed were grouped into 3(n=12 in each group); vehicle(30% ethanol), HEM-13/HDC and minoxidil (30% in ethanol) were applied for the hairless part on the back once a day for 3 weeks. Hair growth was assessed by photographic method.

In both the HEM-13/ HDC and minoxidil groups, the hair grew into the normal state in 3 weeks but in the vehicle group, hair grew only to 1/3 the state of HEM-13/HDC group.

In the animal study, it is as effective as or more effective than minoxidil. Any skin reactions were not observed in clinical and animal studies.